Google Analytics can track information related to visits to your business's website, such as how your visitors arrive and what they do once they get to your site. Segments create graph overlays that you can compare to other data about your visitors. Setting custom segments allows webmasters to track traffic for branded or unbranded searches, including data like page views, time spent and bounce rate. This creates a quick reference for you to track important metrics related to SEO or campaign management.

1.

Click on “Admin” on the top right corner of the Analytics Account page immediately after logging into your Analytics account.

2.

Choose the Account Profile to add your segments to by clicking the name of the domain -- if there are multiple domains, search for the right domain and click it. Click on the “Profile Property” to open the Assets tab.

3.

Click “Advanced Segments” followed by the gray “+ New Segments” button located under the Assets tab.

4.

Name your segment and set it to track branded traffic. For a branded segment, begin by selecting “Include” from the first drop-down box. In the green drop-down box, select “Keyword,” then select “Containing” in the third drop-down box. Type the branded keyword into the text field and select “Save Segment.”

5.

Repeat Steps 3 and 4, but select “Exclude” from the “Include” drop-down box at the beginning of the statement. Type the branded keyword into the text field, name your segment and select “Save Segment.”

Tips

Turn your segments on or off by selecting “Advanced Segments” from the “Standard Reporting” menu.

Compare any custom segments you create to standard segments like traffic sources or AdWords traffic by clicking a segment in the “Advanced Segments” menu from the “Standard Reporting” screen.

Edit custom segments by clicking “Edit” next to the custom segments in the “Advanced Segments” menu from the “Standard Reports” screen.

Add “And” and “Or” statements to increase the functionality of a custom segment. To track branded searches and localized, or city, searches, use Steps 3 and 4, but add an “And” function and type in the name of your city.

Warning

Analytics must have already begun collecting traffic data for your website. At least two weeks’ worth of data is recommended, but you can set up and inspect custom segments in as little as one week.

Bashara, Richard. (n.d.). How to Create an Unbranded or Branded Google Analytics Segment. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/create-unbranded-branded-google-analytics-segment-50719.html